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Today at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields unveiled a large-scale electric vehicle initiative that will run through the company's next five years. Ford plans to invest $4.5 billion in electric vehicle production by 2020, and the company said it will produce 13 new electric vehicles, including a Mustang, an F-150, police cars, and a Transit Custom van. Additionally, Fields revealed that Ford would be canceling a previously announced $1.6 billion-production facility in Mexico. Instead, the company wants to invest $700 million in the existing Flat Rock facility, generating 700 new jobs focused on EV and autonomous initiatives at that location, according to Ford.

"Electrified vehicles have driven millions of miles and saved consumers millions on costs in fuels," Fields said. "Now, imagine electrifying a pick-up truck for more productivity—or a commercial van, a police car. That's exactly what we're doing."

Ford described seven of the 13 upcoming EVs during its press conference today. The F-150 Hybrid will be available by 2020 in North America and the Middle East, and Fields noted it'll be powerful enough to stand-in for on-site generators in a pinch. The Mustang Hybrid will deliver "V8 power and even more low-end torque" according to Ford; it too is intended for a 2020 release. Generally, electric motors are well suited to applications where you want a lot of immediate torque, so their presence should work well in a light duty truck like the F-150. (Cars Technica Editor Jonathan Gitlin notes it will also probably make the electric Mustang pretty handy at the drag strip.)

Among the other notable vehicles highlighted, Ford is planning a fully electric small SUV that can "deliver an estimated range of at least 300 miles" by 2020. The company also wants to produce an autonomous vehicle "designed for commercial ride hailing or ride sharing" in North America by 2021.

Several of the new vehicles, Mustang included, were announced as Flat Rock plant projects under these new electric initiatives.

"We're encouraged by the pro-growth policies of President Trump," Fields said when announcing the investment shift from Mexico to the Flat Rock facility. Earlier in the day, the CEO told CNN he views the investment as a "vote of confidence" in the president-elect. However, Fields also made it clear this move did not happen because of any direct discussions or deals with Donald Trump. (Trump has already shared stories emphasizing the role of his policy in the matter on Twitter.)

Trump had criticized Ford repeatedly throughout his campaign. Ahead of the Michigan primary in Spring 2016, Trump went so far as to call Mexico the new China for automakers and said it would be "a total disaster for the car industry." He stood by those views after Ford initially announced its Mexico plant intentions in September. Even after Trump won the election, Ford was quick to correct the president elect's lies, such as Trump claiming he saved a Louisville-based plant from moving to Mexico in early November. But with today's press conference, the car company has publicly expressed confidence in the upcoming administration's economic leadership—at least for the time being.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

while I'm sure Capt. Orange will try to take credit for this, the reality is that car sales have declined so far in favor of CUVs that Ford simply didn't need the capacity of another plant to build the Focus.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Considering there are already electric trucks around, I don't see why there can't be electric pickups.

Also, people will buy them if they present a better value to them. If there are enough charging stations and fuel savings surpass the price difference between them, I don't see why people wouldn't buy them.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Depends on the need. Instant torque would be beneficial to a variety of off-road situations.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Perhaps there is a specific segment of the industry they are targeting and it isn't for the average consumer. Yeah, how do you roll coal with an electric truck?

But I could see this for trucks used in a plant where it sits charging a lot between uses. When I worked in the petro-chemical industry there were several pick-ups and other vehicles that never left the plant. And being electric instead of spark ignition would allow them access to more parts of the plant.

while I'm sure Capt. Orange will try to take credit for this, the reality is that car sales have declined so far in favor of CUVs that Ford simply didn't need the capacity of another plant to build the Focus.

Call it a hunch, but after being pinpointed the whole campaign, seeing the Carier deal and the Airforce contractors already giving in to Trump criticism and saying they can deliver for less, I don't fully trust the Ford CEO saying Trump had no effect on this decision.

while I'm sure Capt. Orange will try to take credit for this, the reality is that car sales have declined so far in favor of CUVs that Ford simply didn't need the capacity of another plant to build the Focus.

True. Ford wants to sell cars. They don't necessarily care what these cars run on as long as they sell. And you'd have to be blind and stupid not to realize that electric cars are the future no matter how hard Republican Dinosaurs are trying to save gas and oil industry.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Perhaps there is a specific segment of the industry they are targeting and it isn't for the average consumer. Yeah, how do you roll coal with an electric truck?

But I could see this for trucks used in a plant where it sits charging a lot between uses. When I worked in the petro-chemical industry there were several pick-ups and other vehicles that never left the plant. And being electric instead of spark ignition would allow them access to more parts of the plant.

Oh I'm sure there is a market, but I don't see it the consumer level adoption of electric trucks in the near future. The instant torque is great of course, but some things diesel and gas do better than any battery based tech will do for the foreseeable future, and that's hauling big loads over long distances. You're simply not going to have the charging infrastructure on farms and in rural areas where pickup trucks dominate the landscape.

while I'm sure Capt. Orange will try to take credit for this, the reality is that car sales have declined so far in favor of CUVs that Ford simply didn't need the capacity of another plant to build the Focus.

Yes, it has absolutely nothing to do with the constant year and a half of bashing by Trump, his Presidential victory, or the changing business environment to come under him. Certainly not anything to do with his threats of border taxes and protectionist trade policy.

The CEO of Ford was simply sucking up when he said: "We're encouraged by the pro-growth policies of President Trump" and that this move was a "vote of confidence" in the president-elect.

It's all about the changing demographics of car buyers and nothing to do with the enormous political revolution that the country just went through.

It's a shell game. Ford will still move Focus production to Mexico. They just intend to expand an existing Mexican factory instead of building a new one. Ford is a business and is laughing all the way to the bank as it vacuums up additional tax breaks.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Perhaps there is a specific segment of the industry they are targeting and it isn't for the average consumer. Yeah, how do you roll coal with an electric truck?

But I could see this for trucks used in a plant where it sits charging a lot between uses. When I worked in the petro-chemical industry there were several pick-ups and other vehicles that never left the plant. And being electric instead of spark ignition would allow them access to more parts of the plant.

Oh I'm sure there is a market, but I don't see it the consumer level adoption of electric trucks in the near future.

From the article:

Quote:

The F-150 Hybrid will be available by 2020 in North America and the Middle East, and Fields noted it'll be powerful enough to stand-in for on-site generators in a pinch. The Mustang Hybrid will deliver "V8 power and even more low-end torque" according to Ford; it too is intended for a 2020 release. -Among the other notable vehicles highlighted, Ford is planning a fully electric small SUV that can "deliver an estimated range of at least 300 miles" by 2020.

After reading some of the fallout from the Carrier fiasco where the heads of that company admitted that a number of the jobs that were 'saved' from Mexico will be eliminated by automation in the coming years anyway, I have to wonder where the automation 'tipping point' is.

What I mean is at what point does it become 'capital neutral' to build a heavily automated factory in the US with minimal people jobs versus a lesser automated factory in Mexico with more low paid workers?

I think we're fast approaching that point. We could see a lot of manufacturing come back into the US, but it won't have anywhere near the volume of jobs attached to it that it used to. Which is still going to leave those sections of the country that relied on these jobs out in the cold.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

while I'm sure Capt. Orange will try to take credit for this, the reality is that car sales have declined so far in favor of CUVs that Ford simply didn't need the capacity of another plant to build the Focus.

Call it a hunch, but after being pinpointed the whole campaign, seeing the Carier deal and the Airforce contractors already giving in to Trump criticism and saying they can deliver for less, I don't fully trust the Ford CEO saying Trump had no effect on this decision.

The Carrier deal that seems to shrink by the week? Where all the jobs are only guaranteed for a few years and the company made huge profits from? The deal that was 100% Pence?

Many of these job "deals" are snake oil. It's Trump giving their management extra cash to temporarily keep jobs as it makes him look good.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Rednecks aren't going to buy them, but don't overstate the impact they have on the truck market. They will still buy the gas guzzlers, but these electric trucks would be sold to other customers. Many pickup trucks are actually used for their intended purpose (short-hauling materials and equipment) by thousands of businesses, small and large. They definitely care about the impact of fuel costs on their bottom line.

Also, for towing, torque is what matters, and electric motors are excellent at producing lots of torque. For example, freight trains are electric.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

The announcement said nothing about a fully electric F-150. I'm an engineer working on the battery for it and know what exactly it's going to be.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

Perhaps there is a specific segment of the industry they are targeting and it isn't for the average consumer. Yeah, how do you roll coal with an electric truck?

But I could see this for trucks used in a plant where it sits charging a lot between uses. When I worked in the petro-chemical industry there were several pick-ups and other vehicles that never left the plant. And being electric instead of spark ignition would allow them access to more parts of the plant.

OK, so there's a small segment of truck buyers for whom it's all about noise and fuel and brawn.

There's also a much larger segment of truck buyers for whom it's about practicality and capability. A hybrid powered F-series, with enough battery to be efficient and clean for the downtown commute - as well as an engine capable of towing a boat or RV cross country - will really appeal to them.

There's also a large segment of truck buyers for whom it's about total cost of ownership. This is where you get vehicles that are bought 5, or 20, or 100 at a time by fleet managers. If the hybrid F-series is cheaper to run than the gas or diesel version, they will buy it. Bonus points if it can serve as a 10+ kilowatt AC power source, so they can get rid of those damn portable generators and the cost, hassle, downtime, and maintenance headaches that come with them.

Invest 1.6 billion and possibly deal with border fines in the future. Or spend 700 million, create local jobs, and avoid any potential border problems.

Sounds like an easy business decision while the presidentialAdministration switches over and gets its wheels rolling.

Ford's largest concern in a decision like this is labor costs. They would not do this if they couldn't count on a disempowered American workforce. Given the state of D.C., I think they consider it a good bet.

After reading some of the fallout from the Carrier fiasco where the heads of that company admitted that a number of the jobs that were 'saved' from Mexico will be eliminated by automation in the coming years anyway, I have to wonder where the automation 'tipping point' is.

What I mean is at what point does it become 'capital neutral' to build a heavily automated factory in the US with minimal people jobs versus a lesser automated factory in Mexico with more low paid workers?

I think we're fast approaching that point. We could see a lot of manufacturing come back into the US, but it won't have anywhere near the volume of jobs attached to it that it used to. Which is still going to leave those sections of the country that relied on these jobs out in the cold.

Absolutely.

After that tipping point, there will be another tipping point, when there are so many unemployed due to automation taking over their jobs, that the bulk of the US economy - consumer spending - crashes and there's no one here left to buy the product made by robots. The impetus will then be on the corporations to decide what to do at that point. They can think long term and create more jobs or further expand into export markets (such as China), or they get stuck planning in the short term and get caught off guard when no one's buying their crap.

Wall street is now fully in bed with Trump. Any CEO that dares to stand up to his criticism will face the wrath of Wall Street. Boeing's CEO was on his knees after Wall street hammered the stock. A boost in stocks has a bigger effect than the cost of the factory alone.

These numbers just don't add up. Miniscule amounts of low paying jobs are being created in exchange for tax breaks and incentives that add up to more than if the government just PAID THE PEOPLE A WAGE DIRECTLY FOR 20 YEARS.

Also ... what happened to capitalism? Doesn't that require an even playing field? How dose the "invisible hand" react to the government picking and choosing who gets billions in what are basically grants?

This is the breakdown of democracy. They are banking on the fact that, as long as the press is good, they can bankrupt a country and maintain power, because the majority of voters are shortsighted or just don't care. And they are absolutely correct.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

brodozers are almost always 3/4- 1 ton diesel pickups, not F-150s.

I hate to break it to you, but trucks have been getting bigger The F-150 *is* a 3/4 ton truck. The F-350 is a two-ton. The names are the same as their smaller predecessors, but the actual dimensions & capacities don't lie.

Yes, it has absolutely nothing to do with the constant year and a half of bashing by Trump, his Presidential victory, or the changing business environment to come under him. Certainly not anything to do with his threats of border taxes and protectionist trade policy.

The CEO of Ford was simply sucking up when he said: "We're encouraged by the pro-growth policies of President Trump" and that this move was a "vote of confidence" in the president-elect.

It's all about the changing demographics of car buyers and nothing to do with the enormous political revolution that the country just went through.

Sorry, but no. It makes for good political theater, but the simple fact is that sedan and small car sales are in free-fall as CUVs take over. Spending 1.6 billion on a brand new assembly plant just to under-utilize it by building a slow-selling model is a waste of money, and Ford clearly realized that before spending too much money on it.

Besides, The Burnt Sienna Whirlwind has already shifted his gnat-like attention span towards GM over a couple of thousand Cruze hatchbacks shipped up from south of the border.

An electric F-150 seems to be missing the target market by a pretty big gap. Living in redneck country as I do, I'm trying to picture the Billy Bobs switching out their lifted straight-pipe V8 pickups for battery power....

Plus there are some things that electric on it's own isn't going to be ideal for, and towing has to be one of them.

They are building a Hybrid...That is a very reasonable solution for a work-truck. Especially the potential ability to use it as an on-sight generator. That'll be a game changer. And Ford has had high efficiency, high powered "low V" F-150s for a while now and they are still selling very well.

I'm personally ticked that the Hybrid boom hasn't continued like it should have. The electric car crap ruined its uptake and I for one hope that this can jump start that industry. It is the perfect solution for a vehicle to have both High MPG, Low Emissions driving around the city (where pollution is a problem) and be able to skirt out to the countryside on the weekends or the suburbs in the evenings. If the industry were to continue the Hybrid technology evolution that would be great!